On this day Bertie Mee became Arsenal manager. After the experience of taking a very high profile ex-footballer as manager, Arsenal had tried this again with Billy Wright but the result had been a disaster.
This time, instead, they sought to repeat the success of Tom Whittaker by promoting the club’s physiotherapist.
And just as with Tom Whittaker, the plan worked for a while. Bertie Mee brought Arsenal its first European trophy, as well as the first league and cup double, but quickly after that the success faded away and within a few seasons Arsenal were flirting seriously with relegation.
Worse Mee had a vision of football getting ever small, and spoke of reducing the first team squad to 18 players, and abandoning the two youth teams totally.
Tom Whittaker delivered two league titles and one FA cup, exactly the same as Herbert Chapman and George Allison.